Editorial: Leaving Afghanistan too slowly

Friday

Jun 24, 2011 at 12:01 AMJun 24, 2011 at 1:06 AM

In pitching a compromise between what his generals say they need and what war-weary Americans want to hear, President Obama Wednesday had to convince listeners of two things: that the U.S. mission was complete enough to withdraw 33,000 troops, and that it was still incomplete - and important - enough to keep 70,000 troops there for years to come. He didn't succeed.

In pitching a compromise between what his generals say they need and what war-weary Americans want to hear, President Obama Wednesday had to convince listeners of two things: that the U.S. mission was complete enough to withdraw 33,000 troops, and that it was still incomplete - and important - enough to keep 70,000 troops there for years to come. He didn't succeed.

On the first part, Obama is fairly convincing. Al Qaeda, the original target of U.S. intervention nearly 10 years ago, has been largely driven out of Afghanistan. Its leadership has been killed, disrupted and demoralized - a happy finding confirmed by documents found in Osama bin Laden's headquarters.

In a briefing before Obama's speech, senior White House officials said there has been no terrorist threat to the outside world emanating from within Afghanistan in seven or eight years. There has been substantial progress on the other two elements of the mission Obama outlined: reversing the momentum of the Taliban and training Afghan security forces.

Obama was less convincing when it came to explaining why we can't declare victory and bring the troops home.

There are arguments for a slower timetable than Obama proposed. The generals say they've had real success in Southern Afghanistan, and need a full "fighting season" in 2012 to bring the same security to other parts of the country. There have been commitments made to Afghanistan and NATO allies that should be respected.

But we are not convinced - nor are most Americans - that the nation-building, clear-hold-and-build counterinsurgency strategy advocated by the Pentagon will have lasting success without better leadership from the Afghans. The corruption, ethnic divisions and isolated culture that have long plagued Afghanistan cannot be cleaned up from the outside, even by the bravest and best-trained American soldiers.

What Obama should have proposed are a steeper drawdown of forces and a new strategy commensurate with a smaller footprint. A counter-terrorism strategy, championed in the administration by Vice president Joe Biden, would leave policing Afghanistan to the Afghans. A residual NATO force of around 25,000 would go after terrorists with special operations forces, continue training Afghan security forces, and respond quickly should things get out of hand in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

As Obama himself acknowledged, Americans want "nation-building at home," and remain justly skeptical of nation-building in Afghanistan. Given recent history, the U.S. has an obligation to withdraw carefully, and an ongoing interest in stability in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both could be adequately served by a counter-terrorism strategy and an accelerated withdrawal of troops.

Obama came of age after America's engagement in Vietnam was ended, but he knows its lessons. He has insisted on a clearly-defined mission in Afghanistan and an exit strategy. He surely knows enough about the Vietnam experience to appreciate the difficulty of imposing western ideas on a foreign culture, especially when the local government is neither a reliable ally nor has the support of its people.

Yet Obama said something Wednesday that had to give pause to those who remember the "light at the end of the tunnel" predictions made about the earlier war: "Even as there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance."

We remain unconvinced that Afghanistan's peace will be more secure in 2014 - or 2024 or 2034 - than it will be next year. Ultimately, it is up to the Afghans to find that light. The U.S. should get out of the way and let them pursue it - sooner rather than later.

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